"Traditions, Mirages or the After-Life & the Ever Present Fact of Being Lost in the Alternative Universe"
// BLURB //
When you look at the face of your child, you see yourself. When you look at his toys, you see yourself. You see yourself in pretty much everything you are surrounded with, but that’s natural. When a child is born, he or she can’t differentiate between the self and the outer world as everything seems as one. After we slowly realize that we exist in relation to other beings, we suddenly find ourselves alone in the midst of an unknown world. Just imagine the faces of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir standing at the Gate of Heavenly Peace in Beijing in 1955 to get the feeling. Yes, most of our lives are spent with that: fighting against loneliness. The only way to do this is to make the world just a little bit more familiar by projecting ourselves into everything. We find partners that we share the same interests with, make children so that someone will love us unconditionally, make art so that our heritage will be appreciated by others. Extending our egos to infinity won’t make us gods though, but perhaps this universal unity is what we are looking for all our lives.
When you look at the face of your child, you see yourself. When you look at his toys, you see yourself. You see yourself in pretty much everything you are surrounded with, but that’s natural. When a child is born, he or she can’t differentiate between the self and the outer world as everything seems as one. After we slowly realize that we exist in relation to other beings, we suddenly find ourselves alone in the midst of an unknown world. Just imagine the faces of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir standing at the Gate of Heavenly Peace in Beijing in 1955 to get the feeling. Yes, most of our lives are spent with that: fighting against loneliness. The only way to do this is to make the world just a little bit more familiar by projecting ourselves into everything. We find partners that we share the same interests with, make children so that someone will love us unconditionally, make art so that our heritage will be appreciated by others. Extending our egos to infinity won’t make us gods though, but perhaps this universal unity is what we are looking for all our lives.
EDITION, MEDIA, SIZE & WEIGHT
Unique Edition, Shanghai 2018
Gongbi painting (工笔) on rice paper, teakwood frame
76(W)×106(H)×2.5(D) cm // 9.1 kg (framed)
CRATE SIZE & WEIGHT
89(W)×119(H)×12(D) cm // 24 kg
EXPOSURE
“Fathers Of My Father” at island6 Main Space
CREDITS
Wang Tie Zhong 王铁中 (Gongbi) • Yeung Sin Ching 杨倩菁 (production supervisor) • Thomas Charvériat (art direction) • Irmantas Bortnikas (documentation) • András Gál (blurb)
Unique Edition, Shanghai 2018
Gongbi painting (工笔) on rice paper, teakwood frame
76(W)×106(H)×2.5(D) cm // 9.1 kg (framed)
CRATE SIZE & WEIGHT
89(W)×119(H)×12(D) cm // 24 kg
EXPOSURE
“Fathers Of My Father” at island6 Main Space
CREDITS
Wang Tie Zhong 王铁中 (Gongbi) • Yeung Sin Ching 杨倩菁 (production supervisor) • Thomas Charvériat (art direction) • Irmantas Bortnikas (documentation) • András Gál (blurb)
CLOSE-UP VIDEO